Critique on wordsworth ’s Theory of poetic diction .

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Name: - Gohel  Ankita  Kishobhai.
Roll no:-  14

Paper: -  Literary   Theory and  Criticism          western -1

Topic:-  Critique  on   Wordsworth ’s Theory  of  poetic  diction .

Submitted: - Smt.  Gardi m.k   Bhavanagar,   Department    of   English  
Year: - 2015-2017

  Introduction:-

                                            Wordsworth   was on   1770. He was known  as  the poet  of   romentisim.   It   was in 1797 that the new romantic movement in   our literature assumed definite  form.  He was highly    influenced  of   french  revolution. Wordsworth   came  forward  in  1798,  with a new  theory  of  a   man,      a   new  theory    of  nature  and  a  theory  of    poetry .In    the   another   addition  of The  Lyrical  Ballads ’    published  in 1802,  he    elaborately   explained   his     theory  of   poetic  diction. Wordsworth  rightly  felt  that   the  new  poetry   of a  new  age , a  language      was  needed  , what  he  earnestly  felt,  he  expressed  in   the  ‘ preface ’ of  lyrical  ballads .  His entire effort in renovating the language  of  poetry   was   guided by the feeling. He   addressed the   poetic style should not   only   be simple  and   unaffected but   should possess the   power   and   truth   of   feeling.
                                                                

 Wordsworth’s Theory of poetic  diction :- 

                         

                            Wordsworth rejects poetic diction by saying, “avoid poetic diction”. He says that neither there is nor could be any difference in the language of prose and that of metrical composition. Previous critics like Dr. Johnson were of the opinion that a noble and graceful action is degraded when described in ordinary and simple language. Gray said that language of the age could not be the language of poetry. Against this, Wordsworth revolted and declared his theory of poetic diction. He said that poet is a man speaking of men and his language should be simple to communicate his feelings and ideas.

                               Wordsworth denied that there should be such a thing as diction specific to poetry. He thought that artificial poetic diction used by many writers obscured the sentiment and feeling that ought to be the focus of poetry. Rather than ornate, basically ornamental language, Wordsworth thought the diction of prose and the diction of poetry should be the same:

“It may be safely affirmed, that there neither is, nor can be, any essential difference between the     language of prose and metrical composition ’’.

                                Wordsworth went even further, asserting that poetry ought to be written in the "language really spoken by men," which would accentuate the emotive power of the works by giving them more authenticity. In short, he hoped to strip away what he saw as the pretensions and stuffiness  of poetry as it had been written by his predecessors, and his views on diction were central to this project.

                                 It term diction refers to the kinds of words  phrases    and  sentence structures, and sometimes figurative language that constitute any work of literature.  In   the theory of poetry, the issue of diction tends to become primary because the feelings of the poet are most readily conceived to overflow into words, unlike into plot or characters. The poets in all ages have used a distinctive language, a “poetic   diction” which is not correct in discourse. 

                              The neo-classical poetic diction was mainly derived from the classical poets such as Virgil, Spenser, and Milton and was based on the principal of decorum. Moreover, prominent features of the eighteenth century poetic diction where archaism, preference for resounding words derived from Latin, a personification of inanimate objects and to avoid what were regarded as low, technical or common place terms by means of substitute phrase that was dignity and decorum.
In William Wordsworth’s famed attack on the neo-classical doctrine of a special language for poetry, in his preface to 1800 Lyrical Ballads, he claimed: “There is no difference between language of poetry and language of prose.” He states that the poetic diction of eighteenth century writers as artificial and unnatural. 

 
                          Wordsworth’s prime concern is not only with the single word or the grammatical order of discourse, but with figurative departures from literary discourse.Wordsworth   chief aim is to show that such deviations are reasonable in poetry only when they match with the imagery and idea which the poet wishes to universalize and that they have in the speech of everyday life. It is obvious that Wordsworth is contradicting Pope’s theory, who claims, “True wit is nature to advantage dressed and true expression consists in giving thoughts their just and appropriate ‘dress’ and ornament. To Wordsworth all such wit is fake, forced adjustment of words and phrase and rhetorical ornament to them stop ‘genuine’ poetry.   

                                Wordsworth rejects the idea of language as artificial and meters and figures of speech as embellishments of the language. He justifies its use only when they are naturally suggested by passion unlike ‘supposed ornaments.’In a nutshell, so the natural expression of feeling can not be communicated with the help of a version of the upper class speech, but with the actual speech of “humble and rust                      

                                  It has been generally supposed that Wordsworth’s theory of poetic language is merely a reaction against, and a criticism of, ‘the Pseudo Classical’ theory of poetic diction. But such a view is partially true.  His   first impulse  was  less a revolt against Pseudo-classical diction, “than  a  desire  to  find  a  suitable  language  for the new  territory  of  human  life  which  he  was  conquering poetic  treatment”. His aim was to deal in his poetry with   rustic and humble life and to advocate simplicity of   theme.  he  believed  that  the poet is essentially a man speaking  to men and so he  must  use  such a language  as  is  used  by men. The  pseudo  classical   advocated  that  the  language  of  poetry  is  different  form    the language  of  prose  while  Wordsworth  believes that there  is  no  essential  difference between them. The poet can communicate best in the language which is really used by men.  He condemns the artificial language Thus William Wordsworth prefers the language really used by common men. 

                           Wordsworth’s purpose, as he tells in the  Preface  was, “to choose  incidents and  situations from common life”, and  quite naturally,  he also intended to  use,  “a  selection  of language, really used by men”. He was to deal with humble and rustic life and so he should also use the language  of the  rustics,  farmers,  shepherds who were to be the subjects of his poetry. The language of these men was to be  used  but  it  was  to   be   purified   and    filtered   of  all  that  is   painful  or  disgusting,  vulgar  and  coarse   in    that language. He was to use the language of real men because the aim of a poet is to give pleasure and such language without selection will cause disgust.

                             The use of such a simple language has a number of advantages. The rustic language in its simplicity is highly emotional and passionate. This is more so the case when these humble people are in a state of emotional excitement. It is charged with the emotions of the human heart. Such a language is the natural language of the passions. It comes from the heart, and thus goes direct to the heart. In other words, through the use of such a language essential truths about human life and nature can be more easily and clearly communicated. It is more ‘philosophical’ language inasmuch as its use can result in a better and clearer understanding of the basic truths. But in city life emotions are not openly expressed.

                               Wordsworth was going to write about simple life so he writes in simple language and for this he adds meter. In his opinion, the language of poetry must not be separated from the language of men in real life. Figures, metaphors and similes and other such decorations must not be used unnecessarily. In a state of emotional excitement, men naturally use a metaphorical language to express themselves forcefully. The earliest poets used only such metaphors and images as result naturally from powerful emotions. Later on, poets used a figurative language which was not the result of genuine passion. They merely imitated the manner of the earlier poets, and thus arouse the artificial language and diction of Pseudo-classics. A stereotyped and mechanical phraseology thus became current. The poet must avoid the use of such artificial diction both when he speaks in his own person, or through his characters.

                              Wordsworth theory of poetic diction is of immense value when considered as a corrective to the artificial, inane, and unnatural phraseology current at the time. But considered in it  is full of a number of contradictions and suffers from a number of imitations. For one thing, Wordsworth does not state what he means by language. Language is a matter of words, as well as of arrangement of those words. It is the matter of the use of imagery, frequency of its use, and its nature, Wordsworth does not clarify what he exactly means language’.

                       Coleridge was the first critic to pounce upon Wordsworth's theory of language and to expose its weaknesses. He pointed out, first, that a language so selected and purified, as Wordsworth suggests, would differ in no way from the language of any other men of commonsense. After such a selection there would be no difference between the rustic language and the language used by men in other walk so life.

                            Wordsworth permits the use of meter, and this implies a particular order and arrangement of words. If meter is to be used, the order of words in poetry is bound to differ from that of prose. It does so differ in the poetry of Wordsworth himself. So Coleridge concludes that there is, and there ought to be, an essential difference between the language of prose and  metrical composition.

                              The use of meter is as artificial as the use of poetic diction, and if one is allowed, it is absurd to forbid the use of the other. Both are equally good sources.          

                               Coleridge pointed out that it is not correct that the best parts of our language are derived from Nature. Language is letter-mounded. The best words are abstract nouns and concepts. It the poet wants to use the rustic language, he must think like the rustics whose language is curiously inexpressive. It would be putting the clock back. Instead of progressionitwouldberetrogression.
 

 Conclusion  :-

                                   He introduced artificial poetic diction and style that made the language different from every day and rustic life. William Wordsworth followed very simple language or the language of country side. He used simple and attractive diction coming out spontaneously. His language looked to be natural.  He used conceits, images, symbols, metaphors similes, alliterations etc. All added great beauty to the work, and his style became very lofty to all the common people as Longings has depicted in his work "On the Sublime".His using such language and style is  wonderful.

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